REMASAB, SFC academy hold workshop to strengthen waste management services in Kano

A one-day capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening waste collection and disposal in Kano State brought together waste management practitioners on Wednesday, as authorities moved to reform operations under a new franchise system.

The training, organised by the Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) in collaboration with SFC Training Academy, focused on equipping private sector participants with updated guidelines and expectations for sustainable waste management in the state.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of REMASAB, Dr Mohamad S. Khalil, said the workshop was part of ongoing efforts by the government to improve sanitation services through a revised franchise agreement with private service providers.

He explained that in many parts of the world, waste management is not carried out by the government alone, stressing that private companies play a significant role in waste evacuation across designated franchise areas.

He further stated that, “We gathered here for a capacity-building workshop for our companies, the waste management practitioners.”

“The government reviewed the franchise agreement with the PSPs. We registered these companies, and we feel it is important to train them about the do’s and don’ts of their services.”

Dr. Khalil said the government plans to allocate franchise areas to the registered companies while ensuring strict regulatory oversight.

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According to him, one of the biggest challenges facing companies is the refusal of many residents to pay for services rendered.

He noted, “Government will be responsible for regulating their services and enforcing the general public to pay.”

“One of the major challenges these companies face is payment by residents. This time around, the government will ensure enforcement.”

He added that while some residents claim ignorance of designated dump sites, the state had provided litter bins in areas such as State Road, Race Course, and Airport Road, urging the public to embrace proper waste disposal habits.

“Ignorance is not an excuse,” he emphasized. “We are sensitizing and educating people through mass media, social media and physical engagement. Waste management is the responsibility of every individual.”

On staff welfare, Dr Khalil highlighted the government’s recent interventions, noting that salaries of REMASAB staff had been doubled under the current administration.

He also revealed that over 3,000 street sweepers were being enrolled into free health insurance.

“This government has increased their salary and instructed REMASAB in collaboration with KACHMA to register all our street sweepers into free health care services, including their children,” he said.

Also speaking, the representative of SFC Academy, Dr. Sani Usaini, said the principles developed by the academy were designed for Brimarsal to adopt in order to strengthen environmental accountability across the state.

He said many polluters were not being sanctioned, stressing that “if Brimarsal enforces responsibility on anyone who dumps waste indiscriminately, such behaviour will drop significantly.”

He added that unregulated cart pushers often misuse waste collection as a cover for other activities and frequently dump refuse in drainages, roadsides, and residential areas.

Dr. Usaini urged Brimarsal to phase out or integrate cart pushers under registered companies for proper monitoring, enforce the use of approved PSP operators, and stop residents from using personal vehicles for illegal waste disposal.

According to him, vehicles “not designed for waste management only worsen littering.” He explained that Kano has designated government drop-off points, while PSP operators use state-owned dump sites outside the city.

He called on residents to rely on PSP services, saying they “come directly to households and ensure proper disposal, making sustainable waste management in Kano possible.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Kano Indigenous Waste Management Association, Dr. Bala Muhammad Tukur, reiterated the need for stronger enforcement to ensure that residents pay their service charges.

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He presented a paper on the role of private sector participants in municipal waste management.

Tukur said that, “We have been complaining severally that people are not paying for the services we render.

“You can have 100 households, and only 15 to 20 pay. We use this revenue to fuel our vehicles, maintain them, pay salaries, and run our offices.”

Dr. Tukur described the charges as affordable, noting that a 200-litre waste bin costs just N5,000 per month, with collections carried out four times monthly.

He warned that without improved compliance, many operators risk shutting down.

“The only panacea is for the government to enforce. We are happy that this new administration now has mobile courts, so those who default can be brought to book. We are optimistic that this time it won’t be business as usual.”

The workshop was themed Sustainable Waste Collection and Disposal and is expected to guide the implementation of the revised franchise system across the state.